Abstract
This paper describes the use of formal methods to verify a very simple microprocessor. The hierarchical structure of the microprocessor implementation is formally specified in higher-order logic. The behaviour of the microprocessor is then derived from a switch level model of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) behaviour using inference rules of higher-order logic with assistance from a mechanical theorem-proving system. The complexity of the formal proof is controlled by a multi-level approach based on increasingly abstract views of time and data. While traditional methods such as multi-level simulation may reveal errors of inconsistencies, formal verification can provide greater certainty about the correctness of a design. The main difference with formal verification, and its strength, is that behaviour at one level is formlly derived from lower levels with a precise statement of the conditions under which one level accurately models lower levels.
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